First, I don't think it it fair that he blames you for mistakes he has made.
As far as the confessing of sins goes. Of course only God can forgive us. However, maybe he just needed a friend to confide in. I remember a few years ago I was struggling with my faith and was upset about some things I had done in the past. I talked to this girl about them and I wouldn't say I confessed my sin as much as we talked about it and she helped me become a MUCH stronger Christian. Sometimes I think we need to rely on one another and that helps us have a stronger relationship not only with God, but with each other. Although, it does not seem to be the case in your situation. The guy kinda sounds like a jerk. lol.
I haven't been on this site too often lately. I've been kind of busy! Anyways, I had a thought tonight and I wanted to share it and see what others thought.
So, I have had a few reoccurring dreams recently and unfortunately, they are not the kind that leave you warm and fuzzy inside. Which left me with the following question:
Is it okay to try and interpret your dreams or have someone else do it for you?
I know that God spoke to a variety of people in the Bible through their dreams. However, although I do not believe that God is attempting to communicate with me through these dreams it left me wondering if there was some meaning behind them and if it would be okay for me to try and get them interpreted.
Leon, great post! I've given some thought to this question and have a few thoughts.
Recently, a lot of Christians have realized that being a true Christian means more than just being a pew warmer on Sundays. This is a great first step. However, I think where a lot of us fail is creating the relationship with God.
We get so caught up in impressing others, both non-believers and Christians, in our knowledge or ability to quote the Bible that we lose focus of what is really important.
Creating that relationship with God. An integral part of that relationship is denying our individual sinful desires. We each struggle with one or more sins on a daily basis. For some it may be lust others it may be drugs etc.
How hard of an effort are we making to prevent this? Do we pray to God at night about it? Do we make an honest attempt to stop? To me the hardest sins to stop are the ones that I know only God knows about.
Only God can see into my mind, heart and soul and know how truly committed I am to being a true follower and disciple. Only he knows when I say things because they come from the heart or if I want others to be impressed with me.
One way that I have found helps is having an accountability partner. To many this will not be a new concept, but for those readers who do not know what it is here is a quick rundown:Find someone your really trust and let them in on your struggles. Together you can keep each other accountable and journey towards a relationship with God together.
Satan lurks in the shadows and preys on the weak. That is why as humans we are embarressed by our sin and attempt to keep it hidden. Bring it out in the open and let God's light shine upon it so that you may eventually be ridden of it. Unified with other Christians we make ourselves strong and can fight temptation.
I must say I do not agree with the word choice. We are not living by a higher standard, but striving towards a life pleasing to God and filled with Christ's love. I know plenty of non-believers who hold themselves to a very high moral standard; higher than some of my "Christian" friends.
Thank you for all the great advice and information. Unfortunately, it looks like I will be going to Ft. Polk Louisiana instead! I'm pretty excited though!
I'm Julio, or as my friends from Minnesota call me, Robbie. I'm 25 years old and I'm about to graduate from West Point this May! I'm pretty excited! When I graduate I will be an Army Officer. I branched (my job) Armor which means I will be in charge of a tank!
Tonight I find out my post (where I'm going to be living). I'm hoping to get Ft. Hood which is in TX. Pray for me!
I love to travel and have been to 8 different countries and almost every state in America. I'm going to Germany this summer for a bit of recreational travel and I'm going to Guatemala for a mission trip.
Few t.v shows that I like: LOST, The Office, Heroes, and King of Queens, and Samantha Who.
Thank you for your kind words, however I think you mistook what I was saying. Here is a direct cut and paste out of my second post on this thread:
I would like to clarify one thing: I do not believe God 'took' her away from me. What I didn't understand is if this was a natural part of a Christian relationship. Does the woman fast and pray for an answer?
As I was typing one of the many posts last night I came across a question that I have absolutely no idea about (if you've read any of my posts this will probably shock you lol).
side note: this site rocks and my faith and relationship with God has multiplied and continues to each day I open my web browser! I hope the same is true for you!
I believe and agree that it is pleasing to God to fast before making a decision. My question is: how often should we fast and are there different types of fasts? Also, should we fast only to reach a decision in life? Thanks so much for what I am sure are going to be enlightened posts!
Direct Scripture quoting and personal beliefs welcome :)
Thanks everyone for reading/responding. The combintion of chozen2b and toosanger have helped relieve some if not all of the confusion!
Ken,
While I agree with klmarten62 to a certain extent, I disagree that telling her before you started dating would have changed anything (I do support the idea that you should have told her b4 you started dating because there should be no secrets between best friends). The fact that she is already dating another guy leads me to believe that she was not fully committed in the relationship. My ex as far as I know is not dating anyone and is focusing on her relationship with God and school as am I. We are both open to the possibility of meeting someone new, but are not bound and determined to. Furthermore, if she truly loved you than she would have prayed to God and asked if it was right rather than relying on friends and family; as much as I love both friends and family the ultimate person I turn to for my decision is God. Did she even pray for guidance once finding this out? It seems like she allowed other humans to forge a decision for her.
My advice would simply be to take this as a lesson learned. I've actually become much closer to God since this experience and I think for the first time in my life I truly relied on him to get me through an experience. I have also come to realize that much of my relationship with God was based on my relationship with her. She was the only person I did bible studies with. She was the only person that I prayed with at night. She was the only one I made myself vulnerable to. Once she was gone it truly was up to me to make an effort to connect to God. Now that I have I can be the man required in a Christian relationship with God at the center.
An example of the goodness of God working through a tough situation is the fact that we were able to discuss a similar past experience and connect! God's mystery revealed! lol
I would like to clarify one thing: I do not believe God 'took' her away from me. What I didn't understand is if this was a natural part of a Christian relationship. Does the woman fast and pray for an answer?
Thanks to the responses to my post I have come to the conclusion that it she was too young and immature to make such a life changing decision and perhaps her own hesitation got in the way of truly reaching an answer from God. If this is wrong or you have anything to add please let me know!
so many people are going to wonder where I come from after all these posts, but here it goes:
It is my understanding that in God's eyes all sin is equal. So when we are angry at someone it leads (as many people have mentioned or hinted at) unpure thoughts which is the same as commiting the act thus sinning. The anger in and of itself is not a problem (as the post which stated Jesus showed anger so beatifully stated). Another example often given is lusting after your neighbors wife. Your unpure thoughts are just as bad as commiting the act.
Now, I do have to say that I disagree with the make amends with every person you have wronged before you can present your gift at the alter. As I understand it you are reading into that verse as literally physically making amends, but that simply isn't always possible.
The obvious answer is that God makes acceptions. Well, before we reconcile with someone else we should reconcile with ourselves and in doing so we should also be reconciling with God. However, if it is possible to reconcile with the person I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to do so :) I've also heard some people say that 'brother' means Jesus.
My final thought on this topic is that no matter how you interpret what God is saying ultimately God is the only one that can judge an action and determine whether or not it was a sin and/or if it is forgiven. It is important to remember that some Christians are in a profession where deaths are very common and the line between murder and killing is miniscule to the casual observer.
